Mar 28, 2011

This hearty Italian pasta dish has plenty of flavor without all the added fat of traditional pork sausage. Quick, easy and delicious!

This recipe was shared with me by a former coworker and I've been looking forward to making this for weeks because I'm a huge fan of escarole!

Not all chicken sausages are alike, so it's a good idea to know your butcher or the person making the sausage if possible. I sampled a few Italian chicken sausages from different stores before I found a favorite at a nearby Italian specialty store made with all white meat. Living in New York, I'm fortunate to have some great Italian resources nearby, if you can't find chicken sausage, turkey sausage would be perfectly fine. I had no nutritional info, so I used the nutritional info for Isernio Italian Chicken Sausage to calculate. If you can't find escarole, you could use Swiss chard or fresh spinach instead.

Oh this sounds delicious. I don't know that I have access to turkey or chicken sausage (unless it's hidden in the frozen section and I've missed it) what would be the difference subbing in a pork sausage with a low fat content? I do have access to that.

This looks so yummy!!! can't wait to try it- going to pick up some escarole on my next trip to the grocery store. I haven't had escarole in a LONG time; really glad to have a new recipe to use it in- thanks Gina!

WW new Points Plus does not work for me but the old Momentum is a wonderful diet for me so I just want to say thank you so much for always including both programs points. It makes a huge difference! Can't wait to try this one - and at only 6 points!!

I left a comment last night about this recipe. It was there last night but has disappeared today! I made this last night, and it's delicious. I think you could substitute spinach, kale, etc. for the escarole, and it would be equally as good. A definite keeper.

This was an amazing delicous dish. I made my in-laws a thank you dinner and this is what I chose. I used sundried tomato mozzeralla chicken/turkey sausage and spinach. My FIL has homemade crushed red pepper and it was great. For dessert I made your blueberry cream pie sub. blackberries. Thank you SOOO much.

This was soooo good!! I had to use turkey sausage because our meat department (not sure where a butcher is around here) looked at my crazy (in sincerity) when I inquired about chicken sausage. I also had to use spinach because our grocer did not carry escarole, but it was lovely. The only thing I would change for me is the sausage, I may try turkey bratwurst next time so I can remove them from the casing, I bought links by mistake :-(. I actually want to try it again tonight, lol. It was that good.

I couldn't find uncooked chicken sausage links, so I'm trying Aidell's Italian chicken sausage links to make this tomorrow night. I'm thinking I'll just slice the links up and brown them with the veggies. I'll need to re-figure the points I'm sure, but I still think it's going to be great :) can't wait!

I made this tonight and it was a hit!! My grocery store didn't have escarole, so I used spinach, and I added baby bella mushrooms. I used the whole package of sausage which was 1.4 pounds and it didn't overwhelm it. Great job Gina!!

This was fabulous! I used three cheese chicken sausage which came precooked, so I sliced it up rather than crumbling it out of the casing. It was terrific! The portion size was large but it was so tasty I kept picking at the leftovers! I can't wait to eat it again tomorrow! Thank you!!

This looks great! I love how we can use sausage and still be point friendly! I made Jamabalaya recently with Shrimp and Andouille Sausage for my Fat Tuesday (no pun intended) post! Was soo good and point friendly!

Delicious! I am eating it right now :) Only thing I did different was to slice up my pre-cooked italian chicken sausage and brown it first. I used some of the left over grease from that to saute the onions, peppers and garlic and omitted the olive oil. My only problem was that I overcooked my whole wheat pasta! However, it is still fabulous!!! Thank you for what you do Gina!

This recipe was delicious! My husband LOVED it! And I have to add, I only learned of your blog about a month ago and I've made probably 6 of your recipes and they have all been wonderful! This is now my go to site for meal planning and I recommend it to all my friends! Thank you for helping me get my family (especially my husband) to eat healthy!

This was really great. My local grocery store doesn't carry chicken or turkey Italian sausage, so I made my own. I googled the spice mixture and put it in ground turkey. It turned out great. I used ground fennel seeds, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. Mixed it in the ground turkey, then just followed the recipe as posted. Loved it!

Just made this tonight. My Super Target carried the Isernio's chicken sausage, and I thought it was wonderful! We both loved it. Mine had a lot of pasta versus other stuff, but I think my scale might be off, so I might have added too much pasta. Either way, the flavor was amazing! Thank you again...you make losing weight so much more enjoyable!

Gina, thank you so much for this site! It's been a great help as I've adjusted to life on WW.

We made this for dinner tonight and it was great! We used link chicken sausage in the casing (all we could find at the store) but it was still delicious. And it's so quick and easy to make. This is definitely a keeper!

I just finished eating this and it was fabulous!! I was actually really worried once I started making it. I thought, 'pasta without a sauce? There's no way my kids are gonna eat this.' But I was pleasantly surprised! I added half a yellow bell pepper and 5 mushrooms to increase the veggies. I think I probably looked like a starving child from a 3rd world country while I was devouring this pasta dish! Awesome recipe! I'm seriously SO happy!

Delicious, my family doesn't like peppers so I made it with mushrooms instead. Everyone loved it. I couldn't find escarole at our small town grocery store so my next trip to trader joes I will look there. I used fresh spinach. Its a keeper!

I have made this twice for my family already and they had no idea it was a healthy meal. Everyone absolutely loved it. I did use turkey hot sausage because my butcher was out of chicken sausage and the second time I made it, I used Kale since there wasn't escarole in the produce section. Turned out great both times. Thanks for a new recipe that will be frequently used in my home!!!

made this tonight and it was amazing...my butcher had a broccoli rabe chicken sausage and it was so good with everything else. the house smelled delish too!!! my 4 yo even ate it and he tries everything but eats nothing...if that makes sense. anyway he tried it liked it and ate it all. will def be a weekly meal...and its the first time i tried that ronzoni pasta...so good too....

I made this last night (2nd time making it) & it was super yum! Used spinach instead of escarole this time & I think that was a good fit for us. i also added broccoli & used the Smart Chicken sweet Italian sausage (and no red pepper flakes). My husband requested that I make this more often!

AMAZING!!! I make many turkey sausage/pasta dishes...and loved them all. Then I made this one and this has become our favorite!! I use hot turkey italian sausage, doubled the garlic, increased the crushed red peppers and made this with spinach. I forgot to save the pasta water so I heated up regular water and added a teaspoon of boullion to it. I only needed about 1/4 cup. I also added 8 ounces of baby bella's. HEAVENLY!! Keep them coming Gina!!

Hi Gina - Thank you so much for putting together this website! I made this tonight for dinner and my kids and I LOVED it. I had to use turkey sausage because my store didn't have chicken. It is definitely a keeper for us. I am not a big cook - don't love doing it. But this site has encouraged me to begin doing some fancier and different cooking. Keep up the great work!! Christine in Atlanta, GA

Made this last night and it was absolutely yummy!I substituted turkey sausage for Chicken sausage because I could not find any. I also substituted spinach for Escarole (thats not exactly something you will find in a normal grocery store..lol) I will make this recipe again though!

I love every recipe I have made from your blog, but this is my favorite! Made it last night, and again...another hit. I could not find a healthy uncooked chicken sausage so I bought a 95% fat free spicy Italian cooked chicken sausage by Thin-n-Trim and it was delicious!! I chopped it up since it couldn't really crumble. It was very difficult to just have 1 serving, but I did. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch! I pretty much make dinner every night using one of your recipes. I hope you publish a cookbook soon. No doubt it will sell big and be a huge success! Thank you for sharing your talents!

I made this tonight with sweet italian turkey sausage and spinach instead of escarole. My husband needs big flavors usually doesn't like light recipes because they are bland. He and I both devoured this. So tasty. Trust me, you don't need any extra olive oil, resist the urge -- the pasta water works wonders!

This is my 6th ST recipe if I'm counting correctly and once again - amazing! I halved it and it halved beautifully but just because I like them, I would add more escarole and more peppers next time. Also, my hubby is not the hugest fan sausage so I did half chicken sausage and half ground chicken. I left out the oil and did PAM as usual and it was so good! Another ST staple. I may actually make this one again this week it is that good.

Ooh, one more comment to add to my post above. Once again (as with the pasta with brussels sprouts), I found that halving this recipe gave me a very generous portion. I counted it as 4 servings on WW and that makes it 6 PP per serving. Hooray!!!!

This was dinner last night thanks to a head of escarole from our CSA. I did use precooked sausage and a purple and green pepper instead. I found we had a lot of pasta and less veggies/sausage, but I think I used a lot less sausage than on the recipe. Either way, it was a nice change of pace and a great use of our CSA veggies. Bonus that Ronzoni Smart Taste was on sale :)

Made this for dinner tonight, it was SO good! I was very surprised there was enough liquid in it to make it tasty. I came VERY close to adding sauce, but then tried it without it, and it was PERFECT!!!! Reminded me of italian restaurant dishes I've gotten in the past. But I know that sauce was made with lots and lots of BUTTER. ... Chris

Saw this on the list of 2011 best recipes and couldn't agree more. Made this tonight for dinner with my mom and it turned out fabulous. Even my dad, who typically doesn't enjoy "healthy" choices loved it. We used spinach instead of escarole and added mushrooms. It made so much, which will be delicious for lunch tomorrow I am sure. Thanks again for all these amazing recipes. It makes eating healthy so easy and tasty! Keep em coming!

I used Jenni-O Italian turkey sausage and substituted spinach because my grocer didn't carry escarole. It is delicious and my husband LOVED it. We have plenty of leftovers, which is always a good thing and this recipe was so easy and quick. It will definitely be on my dinner rotation.

Gina, you make healthy cooking/eating fun! I use your principles/substitutions when I make my other dishes as well. I often feel guilty after eating your food because I think it all tastes so yummy it can't surely be healthy!!! :)

Made this last night and it was sooo good! I couldn't find chicken sausage so I used ground chicken breast and it was very good. I was worried it would dry out, but nope! Looking forward to my leftovers for lunch!

Gina - I made this the other day for my husband and boys and it was a hit! Although - I think I will omit the red pepper flakes next time or just shake it on my husband's plate. I used ground chicken since my grocer did not have chicken sausage. This is only the 2nd pasta recipe I have that is not red! This is delicious! I was amazed that the escarole was fabulous in it. This is going into the rotation!

Delicious! I used 3/4 lb of italian turkey sausage and 1 link of Italian pork sausage, and spinach instead of escarole (the latter unavailable here). Husband and I kept 'picking' out of the main serving bowl because it was so yummy.

I made this last night and it was incredible! I couldn't find escarole, so I used fresh spinach instead. I also couldn't find uncooked chicken sausage (might have to do some searching!), so I found pre-cooked sausages in a bratwurst-like form. They didn't break up very nicely, but we just cut the large chunks into smaller ones while eating. Fabulous flavor! LOVE your website, Gina!

Another awesome recipe Gina! I just came to comment and let you know how I had to make a few mods to the recipe when I noticed the comment above mine.....I did exactly the same thing! I used spinach and could only find Hillshire Farm Apple Gouda Chicken sausage links. It came out super yummy! Oh...and I added a can of petite diced tomatoes! I recalculated my points and came out with 10 points per serving, and so worth it.

Gina, This is the first time I've posted, but I've tried many of your wonderful recipes. I just made this for my Grandmother and she said if she had this at a restaraunt she would think she would be truly impressed. Thank you so much for posting all of these recipes. I would love them even if they were not low cal, that just makes it all the better! Thanks again!

This was very good! I used chicken broth instead of the reserved cooking liquid and I also added a splash of white wine and allowed this to reduce a bit. I also used broccoli instead of escarole. One of my daughters LOVED it and the other 2 didn't complain. That's a success in our house!

Made this last night. It is AWESOME. Followed the directions, but want to try it with either Kale or spinach next time; only to have different tastes. I did like the escarole and would make it again with that. My husband also liked this. For a 8+ WW points, this was a huge serving. I enjoyed every bite of it.

I made this last night and it was so delicious. I live in LI also and I found premio italian chicken with cheese and garlic sausages, and I was surprised how good they were. Thank you for all your great recipes.

Super yummy. I left out the escarole because I didn't have it on hand. Super yummy. I also used Premio Italian Chicken Sausage links. My husband siad he could care less if had regular sausage. Put over low carb pasta. This is a weekly staple. Thanks

Made this last night - Mmm, delicious! I've never used escarole before but figured since I love broccoli rabe, I'd probably love this - I was right! I added a package of mushrooms (probably around 12 oz) to bulk up the (already generous) serving size even more - they added lots of flavor and even more liquid to the sauce. I'd eat the meat mixture by itself, no pasta needed, that's how good it is! Great recipe Gina!

This was awesome.. made it last night... I didn't have the escarol...but it was still yummy. My kids even ate the red peppers which was first... wanted to make sure I can make it again since it was so yummy!!

Made this for the second time tonight and we absolutely love it! We use Italian turkey sausage in place of the chicken sausage and tonight I forgot to reserve the noodle water, so I just used a splash of chicken broth and it turned out fantastic! Thanks for another great recipe!

I love your website Gina. I'm a full time wife, mother, teacher and a student, so I normally cook a week' meal on the weekend. How do you suggest I freeze some of these meals? Should I us a freezer bag or a glass Tupperware?

So, I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to think of this, since I had no idea what escarole was (maybe we call it something different in England?). However I followed the recipe tonight exactly how it was written. OH - MY - GOD it is delicious! It was my first time using chicken sausage too (which my brother thinks is a crime against nature lol). The only chicken sausage I could get was one infused with pesto, so I'm sure that only added to the party that was taking place inside my mouth.For anybody that is put off by the escarole, please for the love of food, try this! I guarantee you won't regret it.

This dish was delicious! I was a little weary due to not really having a "sauce" but it came out great. I don't have access to escarole so I used spinach and I ended up using Johnsonville chicken sausage w/apples in it and it came out great. The juice from the chicken and the veggies made a nice sauce. I also didn't use the cheese b/c I was not able to get it were I'm stationed.

Made this for dinner tonight. It is soooooo yummy!! I could not add the escarole or spinach as my husband cannot have anything with Vitamin K. But it was very good anyway. I added more water than a cup and it was very saucy. A definite keeper in my recipe box!!

I am making this tonight with spinach and roasted red pepper chicken sausage---adding baby bella mushrooms and some white wine to the "sauce," subbing spinach for the escarole and adding a mix of fresh red bell pepper and roasted red peppers to compliment the sausage. Can't wait!

This recipe is delicious! I am not a fan of escarole, so I substituted spinach, and it was good too. I also added green peppers to the red to give a little contrast to the sweet red peppers. This will definitely be a repeat!!

This is one of my go-to Skinnytaste recipes, Gina! I've never disliked any of your recipes, but I think this is the one I like the most (or at least it ties with the baked ziti with sausage & spinach). My favorite part is that I can make it Sunday evening, separate it into single serving tupperware, and eat it for a delicious din throughout the work week. After a long day, this makes great comfort food without that guilty feeling. Thank you!

Hi,This looks great! I have 2 questions. Does this call for 12 ounces of cooked or uncooked pasta? Also, if I wanted to lessen the amount of pasta, how else could I bulk it up? Do you recommend using more of any certain veggies? What about a can of diced tomatoes...would that work? Thank you!!!

Wow Gina! What can I say, another winner! I made this tonight for dinner and my husband and I LOVED it! I've never had Escarole before and thought it went very nice with this dish. I did add some baby bella mushrooms and I didn't have uncooked chicken sausage on hand but had some thin & trim cooked Spicy Italian chicken sausage, so I just cut them in small pieces. This is definitely on our top 5 list!